Ft. Myers - Offshore

Capt. Rick Featherstone
January 27, 2003
Fort Myers - Saltwater Fishing Report

Reef Fishing Heats Up Cold Water

Greetings;

All of my fishing now is worked around the twice weekly cold fronts passing through. Some are strong, others are less significant, but all affect how and where we fish. Depending on where the last front is, and how long the next one is away tells me where I go each morning.

Offshore the grouper bite is very strong. Many are undersize but the amount of action on light tackle is awesome. Great fighters, and easy to hook make them a perfect target for the whole family to have a great time. Bent rods make happy faces and my anglers as of late have been grinning a lot. Hundred fish days are common. Snapper are active and seem unaffected by the cold water of the Gulf. They are hanging in clouds over heavy structure, and over ledges. All are great eating, and this is the fish to hunt for your fish dinner. I got out on a deep water wreck one day. We released several nice amberjacks to thirty pounds.

On the sloppy days we are catching sheepshead, smaller snappers, silver trout, and grunts over any hard bottom or wreckage we can find. One morning I had anglers that wanted to troll but it was rough so I stayed inshore and tried big plugs. We caught five keeper gag grouper, one just under twenty pounds. That's a great fish anyplace, but from twenty feet of water we were thrilled.

Be safe, and enjoy the winter action.

Sincerely,

Capt. Rick Featherstone

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